Marketing, advertising & media intelligence

As sponsors of the Wellington International Sevens, Nikon set out to build brand awareness amongst the thousands of fans that turn out for New Zealand’s biggest annual party. With a bit of help from BRR Ltd, it created an integrated campaign that stood out in the stadium and saw its fan base rocket up a whopping 850 percent.

As a brand Nikon has tended to favour the more traditional approaches when it comes to marketing, by and large sticking to a mix of print advertising and sponsorships. However, with the Sevens approaching, Nikon wanted more than a few simple ad hoardings on the field during the tournament. So, it approached BRR with a brief to develop a Facebook campaign that engaged the masses that descend on Wellington for the Sevens and leverage its sponsorship of the event.

BRR saw an opportunity to develop a campaign tapping into the colourful costumes and tie this to the Nikon brand. As a result, the Nikon NZ - I AM Sevens Facebook photo contest was created. I AM Sevens is an integrated campaign that allowed Nikon to target fans in the stands, along with those who wished they could be there through a photo contest.

It starts with a Facebook application that BRR developed to run the contest – so those who attended the Sevens can upload their best images and then get their friends to vote for a chance to win one of three Nikon cameras.

To promote the contest, BRR extended Nikon’s international I AM campaign, developing a series of I AM executions, each capturing a different element of the event itself. These were translated into banner ads placed on the Herald and Stuff websites, well as a series of Facebook advertisements and event signage - including on-field digital signage and Nikon TVCs for the big screen.

Nikon marketing manager Jeremy Andrews explains: “We knew that in there somewhere was an opportunity to associate our brand with ridiculous costumes and the raucous atmosphere and in the process strengthen our brand.”

Through the campaign, Nikon was able to associate its brand with the hype in the lead up to the event, create impact during, and most importantly foster ongoing engagement in the weeks following the event – with winners announced on the 27 February. It also means that what started out as a sponsorship constrained to the Westpac Stadium has now reached out to homes, flats and offices around the country.

Within two weeks the campaign has seen Nikon NZ’s fan base rise 850 percent, from 563 followers at the commencement of the campaign to over 4900, and the contest itself receiving hundreds of entries so far. "Around the promotion we also developed on field signage, a TVC that played on the big screen and web banner ads. To date we've seen hundreds of entries all inside two weeks," says BRR's Rahul Sharma. It's a technique we are starting to see more of. Streets Ice Cream 91 Days of Summer was so engaging it won Special Group an ORCA, and lead to hundreds of photos being uploaded to Facebook.

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